Crews Retrieve 3 Shuttle Pieces

CAPE CANAVERAL — Salvage vessels Sunday returned to port with three large pieces of the shuttle Challenger, including a major part of its right wing and parts of the left fuselage.

The ship LCU recovered a 30-by-12-foot wing section weighing about 5,000 pounds and a 25-by-9-foot section of left fuselage weighing about 1,500 pounds. The second piece was part of the ''left fuselage sidewall with the United States flag intact,'' the ship radioed to shore.

Earlier, the G.W. Pierce brought in a 10-by-12-foot chunk of wreckage believed to be part of the rear left fuselage, according to radio transmissions.

After being stymied by rough seas and strong currents in recent weeks, crews reported Sunday conditions were excellent for salvage work.